Today we will look at some of the technical roles that exist within the cybersecurity space. Many newcomers to the field want to dive into the coolest-sounding field straight away, but there are a lot of exciting roles and career opportunities if we just look beyond the hype.
Something to note is that you don’t necessarily need to make your final choice right away. Most senior roles that you will step into later in your career require a variety of knowledge and skills, so don’t be afraid to take on a great opportunity just because the title says Engineer and not Red Teamer.
Security Analyst
Responsible for protecting the networks and systems of an organization from cyber attacks, theft, and unauthorized access. They design and implement security measures, conduct risk assessments, and investigate security breaches.
When you apply for a Security Analyst role, make sure you do some research into the organization and ask a lot of questions. Why? Because this title is one that’s given to many, many roles that are wildly different from each other.
Some Security Analyst roles are highly technical, while others are more audit and compliance focussed. There is nothing wrong with either, but you need to make sure it’s right for you!
Typical tasks:
- Analysis of the organization’s security posture, gaps, and compliance
- Measuring and reporting on the effectiveness of current security controls
- Proposing plans and recommendations on required tools to achieve the desired state of security
If you’re keen on solving different problems and working with both the business as well as with technical teams, the Security Analyst role is definitely something that’s worth investigating further.
Security Engineer
Responsible for designing and implementing security systems. Generally working closely with security architects and other IT professionals to ensure that security solutions are integrated into all aspects of an organization’s infrastructure.
Typical tasks:
- Testing security solutions
- Monitoring the network for gaps, missing patches and vulnerabilities
- Implementing and tuning security solutions
If you want a role that requires a lot of problem-solving and working with new technologies, but also mainly with technical teams, the Security Engineer position might be for you.
SOC Analyst
Responsible for monitoring an organization’s network for threats and vulnerabilities. They do this by collecting and analyzing information from different sources, some alerts will be automated and others will be found from conducting investigations or threat-hunting activities.
Typical tasks:
- Monitoring network and system logs
- Reviewing alerts from security solutions
- Providing reports and updates on incidents
If you thrive under pressure and have an eye for detail, the SOC Analyst role would be a solid choice. Learn more about what a SOC Analyst does in our blog.
Penetration Tester
Responsible for testing and verifying the security controls. Penetration testers carry out real-world attacks on systems to try and achieve an objective, which is typically the compromise of sensitive information (such as customer data) or Domain Admin privileges.
Typical tasks:
- Conducting vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on target networks
- Finding and exploiting vulnerabilities
- Reporting findings to the organization or client
If you enjoy exploring new environments and are as comfortable going deep into a single exploit as you are handling 10,000 hosts, then the Penetration Tester role could be a great choice for you.
Red Teamer
Whilst Penetration Testers look to uncover and exploit as many vulnerabilities as they can, Red Teamers generally include more of the organization in their scope. This means testing an organization’s ability to detect and respond to an adversary. Often a Red Team will try to mimic the TTPs of a specific Threat Actor.
Typical tasks:
- Emulate a specific Threat Actor to carry out an objective
- Assess an organization’s ability to deal with a real-world attack
- Reporting findings to the organization or client
Once you have a solid understanding of both offensive and defensive tactics, if you want to test your skills at bypassing security controls and evading the blue team, Red Teaming is a natural next step for an experienced security practitioner.
If you want to kick-start your career, then head over to the academy page to find something that suits you.
About the Author: Alex Olsen
Alex is a Web Application Security specialist with experience working across multiple sectors, from single-developer applications all the way up to enterprise web apps with tens of millions of users. He enjoys building applications almost as much as breaking them and has spent many years supporting the shift-left movement by teaching developers, infrastructure engineers, architects, and anyone who would listen about cybersecurity. He created many of the web hacking courses in TCM Security Academy, as well as the PJWT and PWPT certifications.
Alex holds a Master’s Degree in Computing, as well as the PNPT, CEH, and OSCP certifications.
About TCM Security
TCM Security is a veteran-owned, cybersecurity services and education company founded in Charlotte, NC. Our services division has the mission of protecting people, sensitive data, and systems. With decades of combined experience, thousands of hours of practice, and core values from our time in service, we use our skill set to secure your environment. The TCM Security Academy is an educational platform dedicated to providing affordable, top-notch cybersecurity training to our individual students and corporate clients including both self-paced and instructor-led online courses as well as custom training solutions. We also provide several vendor-agnostic, practical hands-on certification exams to ensure proven job-ready skills to prospective employers.
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